Wood.] ^'^" [Nov. 19, 



from the fire, and of course retaining all their potash. The ashes were 

 used with the view of destroying the worms that might have escaped no- 

 tice. This was done in the autumn of 1868. In the following spring he 

 was himself astonished at the result. The tress appeared to have been 

 restored to all their early freshness and vigor. They put forth bright 

 green leaves, blossomed copiously, and bore a crop of fruit such as they 

 had never borne before ; many of the branches breaking down under 

 their load of peaches. In reflecting on these results, Dr. Wood came to 

 the conclusion that aU this change could not possibly have been produced 

 by the destruction of a few worms ; and, besides, there were several of the 

 peach trees treated, in which no worms cotild be found. He was thus led 

 to the belief that the real cause of the revival of the trees was the ashes, 

 the potash of which, being dissolved by the rains, had descended along the 

 roots to their rootlets, and presented to them the very food for want of 

 which the trees were dying. He has, accordingly, had hundreds of va- 

 rious kinds of failing fruit trees treated in this way this fall, in the 

 expectation of an abundant harvest next year. Should he live till then, 

 he will inform the Society of the result. Should he not live, the experi- 

 ment will at least have been put on record. 



In answer to an inquiry. Dr. Wood said that the soil was of aU kinds, 

 sand, loam, and clay. 



Dr. Coates remarked that trees at first grow slowly, and have but little 

 chance to get potash from the limited ar^a which they occupy. For in- 

 stance, around the body of large trees there are seldom other growths. 



Dr. Emerson gave his experience of peach growing. The peach, 

 brought from Persia, loves a mild climate, and suffers when brought 

 North, unless protected. When first brought to this country it grew luxuri- 

 antly, in all parts, well. Of late years, however, owing to the clearing 

 away of the forest, which afforded it the same kind of protection which, 

 in Northern Europe, was given it by glass, it has become limited to the soft 

 climate of the peninsula between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, 

 where it has no disease and bears abundantly. The "Yellows," however, 

 although looked upon as a disease spreading from tree to tree, is in fact 

 produced by colonies of a parasite, which propagates under favor of a low 

 constitutional condition of the tree, produced by the failure of the neces- 

 sary climatic protection. As to the nourishment of the tree, salts, espe- 

 pecially of potash, are very nutritive. But there is another element in 

 wood ash, phosphorus, which is the prime mover of all vegetable life. Dr. 

 Emerson described one of his unpublished experiments, with a peach 

 orchard, which yielded inferior fruit, but only as to color; otherwise the 

 fruit was as good as others. He gave a top dressing of 200 or 300 lbs. 

 of superphosphate to the acre, and the next year his peaches brought 10 

 or 20 cents more in the market. At a certain exhibition, some pears of a 

 very high color were displayed, which brought a very high price. Their 

 rearer had used dog dung in quantities, Avhich lent additional force to 

 Dr. Emerson's belief that phosphoric acid heightened the color of his 

 peaches. 



Dr. Wood repeated that his experiment bore especially upon the mode 



